Communication is an all-ages music and art space dedicated to fostering a vibrant creative community for Madison, WI. We are committed to curating an ideal space for all artists with a focus on music, video/film, installation, and performance art. Our goal is to facilitate an artistic community that can reach throughout the Midwest.

Join songwriters J. Marsden, Jennifer Hedstrom, and Eric Doucette at Communication for an intimate evening of uninterrupted performances. Communication is a cozy diy spot with available seating, cool art, and an attentive audience for an extra special connection with the musicians. All of the songwriters will be on stage at the same time which allows for some great banter, complimentary stories, and even some back up instrumentation. The artists will also rotate every song for plenty of variety!

Artists already selling in our shop will be given a weekend where their work is temporarily the main focus of the shop, with a reception open to the public and work we might not regularly get to share!

Native Essence Art was created by Natalie Ergas, a local collage artist. Natalie creates hand cut silhouette portraits and collages embodying a subject’s essence. All of the imagery within the collages have meaning specific to the subject. She focuses on personalized portraits, places, and icons.

For the months of April and May, we are thrilled to have local artist Jamie Ho teaching an Artist Book Workshop Series as our Teens Open Art Studio! As always, this weekly event is FREE and open to all teens in Madison on Wednesdays from 4-5:30pm.

Summary of workshop series:Explore what identity and home mean to you as you learn different bookbinding and storytelling techniques to create artist books. All supplies will be provided. Sign up for a spot at the "ticket" link, which is a contact information form to get you registered. *Note - there will be no workshop on Wednesday, May 29.

This workshop series is made possible in partnership with Arts + Literature Laboratory's Youth Arts Lab.

Communication invites you to the opening reception for our first solo art exhibition, Hellen Ascoli's 3 Translations: Mud and Blue.

Hellen Ascoli (Guatemala City / Madison, WI) is an artist, weaver, and educator. Her interdisciplinary projects encompass these discourses; looking at embodied practices and material culture as a way to understand her surroundings.

Ascoli completed her MFA in Sculpture at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012, and has had exhibitions, both individual and collective, at Proyectos Ultravioleta, Concepción 41, Sótano 1, and Galería Sol del Río; and at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX and Conduit Gallery in Dallas, TX. Her work has also been included in the Paiz Biennial in Guatemala City , Videobrasil in São Paulo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Barbara.

She has taught at Universidad Francisco Marroquín, worked as Director of Education at the Museo Ixchel of Indigenous Dress in Guatemala from 2014- 2017 and contributed to the design of the mediation programs for Paiz 19th and 20th Paiz Bienal. Currently she teaches at The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

This exhibition will be up from April 6 to May 24, 2019 and will be on view during shop hours and events.

For the months of April and May, we are thrilled to have local artist Jamie Ho teaching an Artist Book Workshop Series as our Teens Open Art Studio! As always, this weekly event is FREE and open to all teens in Madison on Wednesdays from 4-5:30pm.

Summary of workshop series:Explore what identity and home mean to you as you learn different bookbinding and storytelling techniques to create artist books. All supplies will be provided. Sign up for a spot at the "ticket" link, which is a contact information form to get you registered. *Note - there will be no workshop on Wednesday, May 29.

This workshop series is made possible in partnership with Arts + Literature Laboratory's Youth Arts Lab.

Join dozens of regional artists, writers, print-makers and advocates for a day-long festival of transformative, and transgressive DIY publishing and printmaking. Various makers will be present and ready to share their work with the Madison area community.

Drop in throughout the day to see their work, create your own zines, and learn more about this long-standing art form. The event is free to attend and open to the public, keeping in mind that artists will not be censored and some content may not be suitable for children.

Doom and blur. The spirit that looms around us all. Something rising from the earth, exits a mouth and into your head.Featuring the sweeping vocals and house of mirrors delay of Doll Feeder from Chicago. A priestess of the void, beckoning. Bringing Higgs Bozo's anti duality ear wash along with her. Local support from Woodman/Earhart, and Sleep Now Forever.

Communication Performance Art Theater(2645 Milwaukee St, 53704)All-ages! $10With special guests:Bob Loblaw!andLike a Manatee!Show starts at 7pm (all music must end by 10pm)

Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts (NYC, Rough Trade Records) play a crazy, original mix of scuzzy urban indie-rock, literate lyrics and comic book punk, like a 21st Century mash-up of Sonic Youth, Pete Seeger and R. Crumb. Jeffrey has done tours in Europe and America and Australia and Asia and elsewhere (averaging over 100 gigs every year since 2001), as well as sometimes playing as the opening act for bands like the Mountain Goats, Daniel Johnston, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Fall, Pulp, Roky Erickson, The Vaselines and other luminaries. Jeffrey has released seven critically acclaimed albums on Rough Trade Records, in addition to occasional self-releases and projects on other labels (like K Records and Don Giovanni), and Jeffrey continues to self-publish his art and writing in an ongoing underground comic book series called Fuff. With current Los Bolts bandmates Brent (Moldy Peaches) Cole on drums and Mem (Cat Tatt) Pahl on bass, Jeffrey has recorded a new full-length album in Nashville with producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Lou Reed, Sleater-Kinney), with release date tba!

It is with great excitement and pleasure that we welcome esteemed Saddle Creek Records recording artist Black Belt Eagle Scout to Madison for the first time! Her latest album Mother of My Children has made huge waves, receiving accolades from KEXP, NPR, Pitchfork, the Fader, Consequence of Sound, Stereogum and pretty much anyone who has heard this incredible record. This is truly a treat as this show is one of only a few headlining shows for BBES before she embarks on a nationwide tour opening for Julia Jacklin. This is a big ol DO NOT MISS as this artist will surely be playing huge clubs in no time!

Black Belt Eagle Scout (Portland, OR//Saddle Creek Records)In her own words, BBES, aka Katherine Paul, says “having this identity—radical indigenous queer feminist—keeps me going. My music and my identity come from the same foundation of being a Native woman."Combining raw emotion, anthemic guitars and a sparse intimate sound, Mother of My Children is an incredible statement of loss, empowerment and identity. For fans of Mount Eerie, Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power, Built to Spill, Mitski and some serious JAMShttps://blackbelteaglescout.bandcamp.com/http://blackbelteaglescout.com/

Disq (Madison, WI)The perfect intersection of power pop, indie rock and fuzz, Madison stalwarts Disq are turning heads with their new "Communication" 7" on Saddle Creek Records. Packed full hooks, clever lyrics and rippin guitars, these tracks create quite the anticipation for their upcoming full length.https://disq.bandcamp.com/

*There will be no advance tickets available for this show so we HIGHLY recommend arriving early to ensure admittance*